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cyrus_zuo writes with this month's round-up of independent game reviews. Leading the pack is World of Goo, a popular puzzle game in which you build structures to get blobs of goo from one place to another. "WoG could have zero personality and still be a good game, but on top of the tremendous technical execution, you are presented with a quirky and odd world that teems with character. WoG has a style all its own and the flair and dynamics of the world just add to the pleasure of losing time with the game." Also scoring high were action RPG Mount & Blade and the third release in the Strong Bad series.

Click here [slashdot.org] to fix the front page. (If you've been tricked into using that God-awful "beta" front page.) I haven't found a solution for the user page yet. Which is driving me up a *bleep*ing wall. I don't even understand what the new user page is trying to show me or why.

Yes, that's the last comment I posted. I already know that. How about something useful like, I dunno, the list of comments? Nope. Gotta click the right tab for that. Even that interface has been borked.

Please, Taco! Don't make changes just to make changes! The old site worked. Rather than make it work better, you're slowly making things worse and worse. With the forced addition of IDLE, you're even making it embarrassing to come here! (Don't forget to shut IDLE off in your preferences. That's the only category I have ever explicitly banned from the front page view. )

Another reader already pointed out but I would like to expand upon the story of Mount&Blade's development. Basically, there is only one developer, Armagan (sp?), and a small number of people who are responsible for the art and other aspects.
I've been with, as a gamer, not dev., M&B since mid Beta (They had an interesting system that allowed users to buy the game at a discount during beta with full future support; the price scaled to retail as the game came closer to release) and have to say Armagan did a great job.
The reviews are basically spot on if you average them out; An insanely addictive battle system (better than any other mount-based system is word on the street) with an overall undeveloped and flaky beta-feel to other aspects of the game. A Sandbox game. Don't come looking for KOTOR-like story.
If you call yourself a gamer you need to DL a copy; it's free with a level cap of 7 and I would bet 3/5 people who hit seven will buy the retail. And you would be supporting a real mom and pop indie house.
There is a great forum community and large mod movement, so modders will likely fill in the gameplay gaps.
Oh yeah and Dwarf Fortress, if you haven't gotten the memo.